Street-sweeper and loader.



R. P. MAXWELL.

STREET SWEEPEE AND LoADEE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 15, 1912.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R. P. MAXWELL.

STREET SWBEPER AND LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 15, 1912..

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ROBERT P. IVIXWELLpOF PRAIRIE CITY, ILLINOIS.

STREET-SWEEPER AND LOADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patenten api, ia, inra.,

Application filed January 15, 1912. Serial No. 671,219.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT P. MAXWELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Prairie City, in the county of McDonough and State of Illinois, haveI invented a new Street-Sweeper and Loader, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to machines for sweepingthe dust and litter from roads and pavements, and for elevating it into a Wagon or other receptacle in advance of the sweeper.

The improvements relate to the means for gathering the accumulation and sweeping or brushing it onto the ordinary elevator or conveyer belt.

Principally because of the fact that the street gutters are on a lower plane than, and are inclined with reference to the maj or portion of the road bed, great difficulty has been experienced in properly sweeping them.

To provide novel means for sweeping the gutters is a primary object of my invention.

To so dispose and arrange said means that the dirt and litter swept up thereby will be deposited in such position that it will be at once thrown by the main brush onto the elevator belt constitutes another object.

It is an object to provide novel means for loosening the dirt, even though it be baked, packed, or incrusted, to the end that it may be readily caught up by the brushes.

rIhat the means above referred to be durable, strong, simple, and economic of manufacture, is a prime requisite; to provide such means constitutes another object.

Minor .objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out.

To the end of carrying out these ends and objects the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combination of parts, all of which will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention: Figure 1 is a plan view partly broken away; Fig. 2, a side elevation; and Fig. 3, a longitudinal sectional view; Fig. 4, an enlarged perspective detail of the bevel gears for driving the curb-brush, and showing also said brush and the bracket which carries it; and Figs. 5 and 6, details, both enlarged.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, the same one indicating the same part in the figures, 2 indicates a portion of a wagon body; 3 the wheels thereof; 4, extensions therefrom; 5, a coupling-bar suitably secured to the sweeper frame; and' 6, a coupling pin.

7 designates the side bars and 8 the end bars of the sweeper frame, which supports a convenient seat 9.

10 are traction wheels and 11 is the axle, suitably fixed thereto and driven thereby.

2, 12 are sprocket wheels fixed on the ax e.

13 is a frame, mounted within the side bars 7 and provided at its upper end with a shaft 14 on which a roller 15 is revolubly mounted, and at its lower end with a shaft 16 on which is mounted a roller 17. The rollers 15 and'17 are embraced by a conveyer-belt 18 having. the usual strips 19, and at each side of and fixed to the belt is a sprocket chain 20, the upper fiight of which engages and is driven by a wheel 12.

21 an apron.

22 is a hood, terminating in a downwardly directed spou s 23 is a supporting rod. v

24 is a caster-wheel, mounted in bearings in the yoke of a pivoted standard 25 suitably attached to and beneath the frame.

27-27 are sprocket wheels fixed on, the ax e. l

28-28 are drag-bars drawn by means of the axle, and carrying at their rear ends a roller 29 on which is mounted a brush 30. At its ends the roller is provided with sprocket wheels 31. A. crossed sprocket chain 32 reverse-gears them with the sprockets 27 to actuate the main brush.

The foregoing are parts of an ordinary construction of sweeper, and need no detailed description herein.

39, 39 designate transverse supporting bars suitably secured beneath the side frame bars 7. Mounted in bearings 38 fixed thereon is a transversely arranged shaft 37 on which is secured a bevel-wheel 36 which meshes with a similar 'wheel 3G.

33 is a bracket fixed on the frame. Revolubly and slidably mounted in a bearing therein is a vertically arranged shaft 34 which near its upper end supports and is fixed to a bevel gear wheel which meshes with the wheel 3G. On the lower end of the shaft 34 is fixed a bevel gear wheel 34 which meshes with a like wheel 43 which is fixed to one member, 45, of a knuckle, the other member, 4G, of which is fixed on the titi dit

iti@

inner end of a curb-brush-shaft 47 A curbbrush 48, preferably made in three brushsections, is fixed on said shaft 47, the outer end of which shaft is mounted in an eye in the pendent end of abent supporting arm 40, the inner end of which is secured in clips 41 which are pivotally and slidably mounted on the upper, projecting end of the shaft 34.

42. is a brace, pivotally and slidably mounted on the shaft 34.

f 103 (see Fig. 1) is a sprocket chain which embraces a sprocket wheel 104 fixed near the midlength of and on the axle 11, and embraces also a sprocket pinion 105 similarly fixed on the shaft 37 to which it imparts mot-ion, and which motion is thence imparted to the bevel wheel 35.

120 is a casting which may be suitably secured on the lower end of they shaft 34. Any other suitable means. may be substituted therefor for performing its function.

49, designates either one of a pair of supporting brackets, bolted to the bars 7 and connected by a rod 50 which supports toothed segments 51, 52, 53 and 54.- Pivoted to the segment 51`is a hand-lever 55, provided with a thumb-piece 56, rod 57, and pawl 58, the latter adapted to engage the segment 51. The forward end of the lever 55 supports a -chain 59 which at its lower end engages a projection from the arm 40. Pivoted to the segment 52 is a hand-lever 61 provided with a thumb-piece 62, rod 63 and pawl 64, the latter adapted to engage the segment 52. The forward end of the lever 61 supports a chain 65 which at its lower rend engages a projection 66 from the arm 40.

These projections are continued or extended below said rod 40, where each is bent into a ring 67 which encircles and supports the shaft 47. By actuating either of said levers the desired end of the brush 48 may be raised or lowered to any required angle, and by adjusting both the entire brush may be elevated or depressed, the supporting arm 40 (through the clips 41) and brace 42 sliding freely on the shaft 34.

69 is a hand-lever, pivoted in the segment 53 and provided with a thumb-piece 70, rod 71 and dog 72, the latter adapted for engagement with said segment 53. Secured to the forward end of this lever is one end of a chain 73 which passes beneath a'sheave 74 mounted on a shaft 75ljournaled in bearings in bearing-blocks 76 Xed by bolts 77 on one of the bars 7. The lower end of the chain 73 is coupled to the arm 40, whereby it may be drawn forwardly or at a lesser angle or inclination with relation to the side-bars 7. Release of the lever will permit the brush automatically to reassume its position of greater angularity as the machine is drawn forwardly.

One of the greatest ofthe many difhculties Lesage@ which are met with in cleaning'the gutters is that the water runningolf the road-bed carries the accumulations into the gutters and there they remain, inasmuch as the volume of water is seldom sul'lieient to thoroughly flush .and cleanse them. Becoming solid, cakes form, and a brush merely passes over the surface, leaving the gutters foul and filled. This I overcome by the means now to be described. vA bracket arm 90 having at its lower end a projection 91 provided with a circular aperture is fixed by bolts 92 to aforward portion of the frame. Mounted in the said aperture is a tooth-bar 93, the other end of which enters a square aperture in a rocker link 94 which at its other end is pivoted to a hand lever 95 fulcrumed on the segment 54. The lever 95 is provided with a thumb-piece 96, rod 97 and pawl 98, the latter adapted for engagement with said segment. As the lever is raised or lowered it will impart rocking movements to the link 94 and these willv be transmitted to the rod 93, turning as it does in the aperture in the projection 91. Pivoted at 101 on the toothbar is a series of drag-teeth 99. A spring 100 connects the median portion of each tooth with a pivot-pin 101.

102 is an angularly disposed brace, bolted at 102 to a frame bar 7 and at its forward end connected to the projection 91.

As the machine is drawn forwardly the teeth 99 will be dragged at an angle to the direction of motion thereof. Their edges will act as knives tocut or hoe and thus loosen the dirt in advance of the brushes. Should a rigid obstruction be presented, the pivots 'will permit the teeth so met to swing, and upon having passed the obstruction the springs will draw them back to their normal positions. Aetuation of the lever 95 in the proper manner, and adjustments of the pawl 9S in the segment teeth 54 permit of any required or selective adjustment of the teeth with relation to the ground sur face, even to throwing them out of operative positions.

Being angularly disposed, the spaces between the brush sections of the curb-brush will not interfere with the successful operation thereof, inasmuch as the sections overlap. It will be evident also that the proximal edge of the curb brush will overlap that of the road-bed brush, and that all the refuse, dirt and dust swept up by the former will be swept up by the latter, onto the apron, thence onto the conveyer belt, and thence into the receptacle`2. v

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following, to-wit:

1. A sweeper comprising a frame, supporting wheels, an aXle driven by said v mounted on said vertically arranged shaft and provided with upwardly and downl wardly extended projections which at their lower ends embrace and support the median portion of said curb-brush shaft, and levers engaged one with the upper end of each of said projections, whereby the curb -brush may be elevated bodily.

2. A sweeper comprising a frame, supporting wheels, an aXle driven by said wheels, a main brush driven by said axle, a horizontally arranged axle driven shaft mounted in bearings on said frame, a vertically arranged shaft driven thereby, a curbbrush shaft driven by the last recited shaft, a bent curb-brush-supporting arm in which the outer end of said curb-brush-shaft is mounted, said arm pivotally and slidabv mountedonsaid vertically arranged shaft and provided with upwardly and downwardly extending projections which at their lower ends embrace and support the median portion of said curb-brush-shaft, levers engaged one with the upper end of each of said projections, whereby the curb-brush may be'elevated bodily, a pulley mounted on the frame, a chain embracing it and secured at one of its ends to the outer portion of said supporting arm, and a lever engaged with the other end of said chain, whereby the outer end of the curb-brush may be swung forwardly or rearwardly.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of March 1911, at Galesburg, Knox Co., Illinois.

ROBERT P. MAXWELL. In presence of A. W. KNU'rsoN, Q. H. WArrERs. 

